ACR Heat Products: Top 10 tips on choosing the best stove for your needs

By Alex Bennett / November 13, 2013.

ACR Heat Products has just celebrated 25 years in the stove industry and we are delighted that they have agreed to share their top ten tips on choosing the best stove for your needs. By following their advice, you should end up with many years of warmth and enjoyment from your stove.

1. Heat Output

It’s really important to make sure that your stove gives out the correct amount of heat for your room. You need to make sure it will give you enough heat to allow you to sit comfortably in the room. Too much heat and you won’t be able to sit in the room and enjoy the stove. As a general guide, you will need 1Kw of heat approximately for every 14 cubic meters of space. Use this as a guideline but we would recommend that you always ask your local stockist to calculate this for you too.

2. Size

You need to ensure that the stove will physically fit. Is there enough room for the stove to function properly and confirm to building regulations. Make sure there is also enough room to service the stove too.

3. Fuel Type

You can either buy a pure Woodburner or a Multifuel stove. If you don’t want to be restricted to just wood burning, a Multifuel stove is best. If you know you will only be burning wood, then the Woodburner will be better. We only recommend the use of seasoned wood with less than 20% moisture content which is why we are happy to support Certainly Wood or smokeless solid fuels.

4. Smoke Controlled Areas

If you live in a town or city then the chances are that you live in a smoke controlled area which means you can only burn wood on a DEFRA approved stove. We have a large number of DEFRA approved stoves in our range.

5. Style

Modern stoves may date quicker than a classic style. It’s always best to choose a stove which is in keeping with your property style.

6. Chimney

Your chimney may need to be lined which will add to the installation cost but will protect your chimney and make your stove more efficient.

7. Efficiency

The more efficient the stove is, the more heat you will get from your fuel which will save fuel in the long run.

8. Convenience factors

Some stoves have additional features which make the stove easier to use for example, the Vermont stoves have top loading plates which mean you don’t have to open the doors or bend down to refuel the fire. There are “swing out”ashpans with covers for convenience when cleaning out the stove and thermostatic control can help regulate the stove to give a longer burn period and a more consistent heat output.

9. Don’t just buy a stove!

Always do your research first and have your property surveyed to ensure that what you want to buy will be suitable for installation.

10. Installation

To comply with building regulations, your stove will need to be installed either by a HETAS registered installer or will need to signed off by your local building control officer. Please don’t try to install it yourself.